By
Alex Smith |
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) has appointed ferry design consultancy Navalue to lead the concept design of its small vessel replacement programme, which will see ships being replaced on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services network in Scotland.
CMAL and Navalue will investigate the feasibility of designing low-emission ferries to be in line with the Emissions Reduction Targets (Scotland) Act of 2019, which sets a 2030 target to reduce harmful emissions by 75 per cent and an ambition of achieving net-zero emissions by 2045. Studies will explore offshore charging technologies and identify onboard electrical energy storage systems that can be recharged from onshore electrical power supplies.
“CMAL led the way in low-emission small ferries when we designed the world’s first hybrid sea-going ferries, with three hybrid vessels currently in operation on the network,” said Jim Anderson, director of vessels at CMAL. “Our aim is to ensure the next generation of small vessels is as environmentally friendly as possible by adopting further advances in battery technology and electrifying our fleet. Navalue will provide insight and expert knowledge as we embark on our highly ambitious and much-needed vessel renewal programme.”
During phase one of the small vessel replacement programme, CMAL will also investigate designs that comply with the regulatory requirements for its Sound of Iona routes. A future phase two of the programme will replace vessels serving on the route, along with those on the Sound of Barra and Sound of Harris routes.
“Navalue is strongly committed to providing innovative, reliable and efficient ship design solutions for sustainable shipping,” said Thomas Ritte, partner at Navalue. “We are pleased to bring our experience in developing zero-emission transportation solutions to the CMAL small vessel replacement programme and look forward to working with CMAL in its goal towards lower emission vessels.”